Combination door-gheck and alarm



(No Model.) I

O. R. KING.

1 COMBINATION DOOR CHECK AND ALARM.

No. 397,726. Patented Feb. 12, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES RUFUS KING, OF LAMPASAS, TEXAS,

COMBINATION DOOR CHECK AND ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,726, dated February 12, 1889.

Application filed March 22, 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES RUFUS KING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lampasas, in the county of Lampasas and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Combination Door- Check and Alarm, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combination doorcheck and alarm; and it has for its object to provide a device to check the door at different points of its swing, which will not interfere with or injure the carpet over which the door swings furthermore, to provide a check which is operated by the knob of the doorlatch; furthermore, to provide means whereby the cheek may be permanently engaged or permanently disengaged at will.

\Vith these objects in view, the invention consists in a certain novel construction and arrangement of devices fully set forth hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a door provided with my improved check. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the latch and its attachment to the door.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the door having the knob B, which is attached to the ordinary or any preferred latch, and C designates a semicircular catch-bar, which is attached to the door-frame above the door and close to the upper edge thereof. The lower edge of this bar is provided at intervals with notches D D, and the upper edge is provided with corresponding notches D D, and the edges of the bar are depressed or recessed be tween the notches, for a purpose to be here inafter explained.

E represents a case or box, which is secured to the door, near its upper edge, and G is a latch which is mounted at an intermediate point on a pivot, F, in the said box or case. The shorter arm of the latch engages the notches in the lower edge of the catch-bar, and it is provided with the curved guide slot H, which operates on the pin I and limits the swing of the latch. The longer arm of the latch is provided with the bell K, which acts as a weight to normally hold the other end of the latch in engaging position. An operating- Serial No. 268,179. (No model.)

arm, L, is attached to the shorter arm of the latch, and to this operating-arm is attached the upper end of the cord, wire, or chain M, which is attached at its lower end to the knob of the door-latch. A coupling device, IT, is arranged at an intermediate point of the said cord, wire, or chain, between the upper and lower sections, at m, thereof, to enable the connection between the knob and the check latch to be broken.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The latch normally stands in the engaging position, and when it aligns with one of the notches it engages the same automatically. One of the notches is so arranged that it is engaged by the latch when the door is closed, and when the knob is turned to open the door the cord, wire, or chain draws the latch out of engagement with the notch. The vertical motion of the engaging end of the latch is limited by the guide-slot therein, and consequently the latch will not bear against the under side of the catch -bar between the notches. The latch may be permanently engaged in one of the notches by uncoupling the sections of the cord, wire, or chain, and the latch may be permanently held out of engagement by engaging the end of the upper section of the cord, wire, or chain with the pin 0, which is arranged on the door.

The catch bar is shown semicircular in the drawings; but it will be understood that it may be shortened at will to adapt it to any desired position. Notches are provided in the upper and lower sides of this bar to enable it to be applied to either a right or a left hand door.

It will be seen that the bell on the end of the latch will give warning when the latch is moved, and the door cannot be opened without moving the latch.

The bell may, if preferrml, be substituted by a weight.

The depressions or recesses which were here- 'inbefore referred to in the edges of the notched bar, between the notches, are designed to prevent the frictional contact between the latch and the lower edge of the bar when the door is swung back and forth. The upward movement of the free end of the latch is limited by the slot hereinbefore described, so that when the latch is opposite the said depressions or recesses the end of the latch is out of contact with the bar; but when the door is swung the end of the latch bears on the inclined end of the depression or recess and rides thereon, thereby depressing the said end in position to engage the notch which is adjacent to the inclined end of the depression or recess.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim- 1. The combination, with a curved notched bar, C, secured to the door-frame above the upper edge of the door, of the latch G, pivoted on the door and adapted to engage the notches in the bar 0, and having a guide-slot, H, operating on a stationary pin, l, to limit the movement of the catch, the operating-arm L, depending from the shorter arm of the latch, the cord, wire, or chain connecting the lower end of this operating-arm to the door-knob,

and the swinging or jingle bell depending from the longer arm of the latch, substantially as specified.

2. The revoluble door-knob, in combination with the lever mounted on the door and having a swinging or jingle bell attached to its longer arm, and the cord, wire, or chain affixed at one end to the shorter arm of the lever, and connected at the other end to the said dooraknob, whereby when the latter is turned the shorter arm of the lever is depressed and the bell is rung, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES RUFUS KING.

Witnesses:

J. C. llln'rrnnws, LEWIS W001). 

